Japan Travel Tips & Hidden Gems
While it pains me greatly to write this, the only place in Chiba Prefecture that most foreign tourists ever really visit is Narita International Airport. This is a real shame as the region is nothing short of a treasure trove…
If you have any pride at all as a fan of anime and manga, you must have heard of the legendary area of Tokyo known as Akihabara by now. After all, this place is basically the geek capital of the…
For the longest time, I have actively asserted that Kanagawa is the most well-rounded of all the prefectures. Between the history of Kamakura, the hot springs and nature of Hakone, and the urban landscape of Yokohama, there’s little that this…
Welcome back to another Japan area guide. As always, I’ll be going incredibly deep to ensure that you, the reader, are equipped with all that you need to know to get off the beaten path. Today we’ll be taking a…
In my journeys across Japan, I have come across two distinct types of places. On the one hand, there are hidden gems like Kanazawa or Atami that are very popular with Japanese tourists but have yet to establish much notoriety…
Today’s post is one of those articles that hits home pretty hard. As anyone who has visited Japan in the past can attest, this country is very much like heaven on earth for tipplers. Regardless of whether it’s 2:00 PM…
If you’ve been dreaming of traveling to Japan, chances are you’ve seen some spectacular imagery. These days, social media is littered with shots of spacious rooms at luxurious ryokan, verdant foliage, exquisite kaiseki ryori course meals, and bullet trains whizzing…
Long-time readers may have picked up on this by now, but I really loathe covering Japanese festivals on this blog. Blasphemy, right? I mean, why would anyone be averse to something so essential to the local culture? As it turns…
It was a cold, snowy day in February when it finally hit me. How could I have been so oblivious? After all, it was staring me right in the face all along. You see, oftentimes when traveling, I purposely make…
Welcome back to yet another super in-depth travel guide where I detail all you need to know to get off the beaten path. It certainly has been a while since I’ve published one of these, eh? Ever since I broke…
“Wintry wind — passing a man with a swollen face.” — Matsuo Basho If you haven’t already had a chance to experience them first hand, know that Japanese winters can be pretty harsh. While temperatures never reach exactly what I would call frigid over…
If you’re anything like me and my fellow Tokyoites, then you absolutely loathe the idea of having to fly in and out of Narita International Airport. After all, the bloody terminals are located over an hour outside of the city’s…
If you’re not humble, life will visit humbleness upon you. — Mike Tyson Looking back over things, it was entirely my fault. Just a few days before, I had been violently thrown from my bicycle in Okayama Prefecture. The result was…
“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of others; instead, seek what they sought.” — Matsuo Basho 2018 has been a very, very strange year for me. In many regards, it was by far the best year of my life. What…
It really grinds my gears when people associate “old Japan” only with the likes of Kyoto and Nara. Yes, I get that the area of the country has developed a brand for itself as the bastion of all things traditional.…